In the annals of NBA off-court incidents, few moments are as shocking as the December 2009 confrontation in the Washington Wizards locker room. Teammates Gilbert Arenas, a high-scoring All-Star, and Javaris Crittenton, a younger player trying to secure a roster spot, pointed firearms at each other. The event rocked the league, dominated headlines, and irrevocably altered the lives of both men involved.
Now, Netflix revisits this infamous chapter in its acclaimed sports documentary series Untold. “Untold: Shooting Guards” plunges us into the incident with first-hand accounts from both Arenas and Crittenton. Directed by Walter Thompson-Hernández, this documentary tells us what really happened and why the careers of both players were never the same again.
The Card Game That Triggered a Crisis: Account of the Incident
The stage for the confrontation was set within the specific, high-pressure environment of an NBA team, where camaraderie often mixes with intense competition, extending beyond the court. High-stakes card games, particularly the poker-spades hybrid known as booray (or Bourré), were common pastimes on team flights and in locker rooms, serving as both a bonding activity and a breeding ground for disputes fueled by large sums of money and competitive egos.
The specific flashpoint occurred during a booray game on a Washington Wizards team flight. Arenas reportedly joined the game mid-session, significantly increasing the pot size, and engaged in direct taunting towards Crittenton. What began as a loss at the card table festered over the following days, escalating from a financial complaint to increasingly violent verbal threats. Arenas’ character, a born prankster, went beyond jokes, and Crittenton eventually fell for Arena’s provocations and a dispute over who would dare to shoot the other.
Arenas, seemingly to see if Crittenton was bluffing, brought multiple firearms into the locker room. He allegedly placed them near Crittenton’s locker or chair with a challenge: “You said you were going to shoot me, so I gave you guns.” Some reports suggest Arenas’ guns were unloaded, a detail potentially linked to his later legal defense regarding firearm laws. However, Crittenton’s alleged response dramatically escalated the situation.
Voices from the Locker Room: Arenas and Crittenton Speak
The central promise of “Untold: Shooting Guards” lies in its direct access to the two central figures. Securing extensive, sit-down interviews with both Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton provides the documentary with its primary source material and narrative drive. This allows for a presentation of their potentially conflicting perspectives, recollections, and justifications regarding the events of 2009.
Arenas’ narrative centers on his established persona as a prankster who perhaps misjudged boundaries. However, there is also an acknowledgment of the severe consequences, particularly for his teammate, captured in the line, “Our decisions that day ruined his life.” Crittenton’s perspective emphasizes the perceived threat and a sense of circumstances spiraling out of control.
Repercussions and Fractured Futures: Consequences Beyond the Game
The repercussions of the locker room confrontation were immediate and severe. The NBA, facing a public relations nightmare and a grave conduct violation, imposed lengthy suspensions through the end of the season (50 games) on both Arenas and Crittenton. The incident sparked a media firestorm, shocking the sports world and casting a shadow over the Washington Wizards franchise.
For Gilbert Arenas, the event marked a turning point that effectively derailed a potential Hall of Fame trajectory. Once one of the league’s most electrifying scorers, his performance never fully recovered after the suspension. He was eventually traded from Washington to the Orlando Magic and was out of the NBA entirely by 2012. However, in the years since, Arenas has successfully reinvented himself as a prominent, often controversial, media personality through his popular podcast, “Gil’s Arena.”
Javaris Crittenton’s path took a much darker and more tragic turn. This downward spiral culminated in tragedy in August 2011. Crittenton was arrested and later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm in the drive-by shooting death of Julian Jones, a 22-year-old mother of four, in Atlanta. Reports indicate Crittenton was allegedly targeting someone he believed had robbed him earlier that year and mistakenly shot Jones. Initially facing murder charges and a potentially longer sentence (reports mention 23 years), he accepted a plea deal shortly before trial in 2015 and ultimately served 10 years in prison before being released. The documentary’s exploration of this period includes the painful perspective of Julian Jones’ family, who were reportedly blindsided by the plea deal and Crittenton’s release, expressing heartbreak and a sense that true justice was not served, even as they try to move forward.
A Sad Story for a Bitter Documentary
For audiences interested in the intersection of sports, celebrity, crime, and human fallibility, “Untold: Shooting Guards” is poised to be a significant addition to the Untold canon. It forces a confrontation not only with the specific events of 2009 but also with broader questions about the pressures on young athletes, the nature of accountability, the potential for redemption, and the devastating, long-lasting consequences that can stem from a single moment when tempers flared and firearms entered the equation. The documentary serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of careers and lives when conflict escalates beyond the bounds of reason and the rules of the game.
Where to Watch “Untold: Shooting Guards”
